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From: | Paul Eggert |
Subject: | Re: To non-native English writers: expunging the solecism "This allows to do something." |
Date: | Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:41:39 -0800 |
User-agent: | Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:38.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/38.5.0 |
On 01/25/2016 07:13 AM, Rostislav Svoboda wrote:
In contrast to that, meaning of both expressions: this allows to do something this allows [...] to do something is quite clear.
That may be, but English grammar is not entirely laissez faire. For non-native-English writers a good source for what constructions are allowed is:
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/allowJust to make your head spin a bit more, “allows to” is OK when followed by an indirect object, even though the “to” could often be omitted in that case. For example:
"So far the object is not only lawful, but it is the mere exercise of a right which the law allows to every individual."
This is from Alexander Hamilton's 1791 opinion as to the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States. I wonder: would Hamilton have said the same thing about the GPL?
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